Should a hurricane or other disaster strike
our community again, there will be more
resources available to help local businesses
weather the event and the aftermath.
“Our emergency operations have been a
model for other communities,” said Richard
Moore, a planner with the Volusia County
Division of Emergency Management. “But
after the hurricanes of 2004, we found that
businesses had a difficult time reestablishing
operations. Officials scrambled for
information and often purchased essential
supplies and services from out-of-town
suppliers, not knowing that what they
needed was available right here at home.”
Moore and his colleagues on the county
staff last year worked with officials of other
organizations and private sector business
people to create Volusia Prepares Business.
It identified many needs specific to
businesses, but focused on three things to
accomplish immediately.
The first was to provide training in
emergency preparedness for the private
sector and offer guidance on how businesses
should develop emergency plans. This
included a no-charge review of participants’
emergency plans and commentary on how
to improve them. Workshops have been
conducted for 20 oceanfront hotels, the
Building Managers Association, whose
membership includes condominium
building managers, the Higher Education
Consortium, represented by the leadership
of five area colleges and universities,
interested private sector organizations, and
most of the area’s chambers of commerce.
Next, Moore said a database of resources
that can be critical after a disaster is being
developed. By using local resources,
organizations in need of essential products
and services save time and, possibly, money.
“We also encourage spending among local
providers which contributes to the area’s
economic recovery and keeps paychecks
flowing to local families.”
The database is being created and
managed by The Chamber / Daytona Beach
& Halifax Area. The software was developed
at no cost by the Workforce Development
Board Center for Business Excellence. It
already includes more than 300 local
resources compiled by area chambers of
commerce and it will be updated regularly.
“Helping businesses get back to doing
business in the aftermath of a disaster is
good business,” said Kevin Kilian, Vice president
of The Chamber.
Finally, a Business Operations Center
was established to function as a business
version of the Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) that serves as the command center
during countywide disasters. It is to be
housed by the Workforce Development
Board Center for Business Excellence and
will have a link to the Volusia County EOC
where The Chamber serves as a business
liaison during activations.
“This is a critical outreach to our
business community and one that will
address its specific operational needs,” said
Rick Fraser, president of the Center for
Business Excellence. The site for the
business operations center has been
selected. Staffing and resources have been
identified and a first draft of the operational
procedures developed.
Volusia Prepares Business is well on its
way to helping businesses prepare for and
recover from disasters. In fact, Enterprise
Florida, the statewide economic
development authority, is monitoring
progress of the program on behalf of its
member communities throughout Florida.
And other complimentary initiatives support
the program and expand on its mission.
They include the Chamber’s Disaster
Alliance Group and CUDARC, the College
and University Disaster Assessment and
Research Center.
For more information, please contact
Richard Moore, Volusia County Emergency
Management, 386-254-1500. Complete
disaster planning and recovery information,
including the 2006 Volusia County
Emergency Preparedness Guide, is available
on Volusia County Government’s website. Click to Emergency
Management.
